State of Illinois Archives: on Families & Children
Alexi Giannoulias:
Strongly supports the Paid Parental Leave Act
Alexi strongly supports the Paid Parental Leave Act, which provides federally employed parents four weeks of paid leave to spend at home with a new child.
This takes a first step toward universal paid leave so that working families no longer must choose between a child and a paycheck.
Source: 2010 Senate campaign website, AlexiForIllinois.com, "Issues"
Dec 25, 2009
Anne Stava-Murray:
After #MeToo moment, withdrew support for Speaker Madigan
Stava-Murray said she didn't vote for [Illinois Incumbent House Speaker Michael] Madigan because what had happened under his watch. "I didn't start off saying I wasn't going to vote for [Madigan], but the more that
I talked to my constituents and then really after that #MeToo moment, I began to ask publicly that he step down from his role as [party] chair and as speaker," the freshman Democrat said after the swearing-in ceremony in Springfield.
Source: WQAD-News-8 on 2020 Illinois Senatorial race
Jan 9, 2019
Bruce Rauner:
Created the Governor's Cabinet on Children and Youth
We created the Governor's Cabinet on Children and Youth, bringing together all state agencies that serve our children to ensure that Illinois' young people are healthy, safe, well-educated and on the road to becoming self-sufficient. The commitment,
cooperation and effective problem solving among the agencies involved is extraordinary; in partnership with external partners in the private sector, they will make Illinois a better place for all children.Working with the Illinois State Board of
Education, local high schools, community colleges and local employers, our youth Cabinet is striving to expand vocational training and apprenticeship programs for all our high school students so each of them has a clear path to an attractive career.
Another critical initiative of the Children's Cabinet is reducing young children's exposure to lead. Democrats and Republicans stood together in signing a bill that requires all schools and day care centers to test their drinking water regularly.
Source: 2017 State of the State address to Illinois Legislature
Jan 25, 2017
Bruce Rauner:
Combat sexual harassment among government employees
Today, I will sign an executive order to strengthen the policies that ensure all government employees under my office's jurisdiction have reliable and responsive outlets for reporting acts of sexual misconduct. The order makes the Ethics
Act supreme over all other laws and agreements in the state, even those in collective bargaining agreements. Further, we will introduce legislation this session to make the Ethics Act the prevailing law of the state in all matters involving misconduct.
Source: 2018 Illinois State of the State address
Jan 31, 2018
J.B. Pritzker:
Public/private partnership must invest in poor kids
I've become a national leader in supporting early childhood education and helped improve teacher training. I'm proud of working with some great local non-profit organizations to expand Illinois school breakfast program to
55,000 low-income students, and to change the law so that an additional 175,000 more kids are getting the breakfast they need to start their days off right.
Source: 2018 Illinois gubernatorial campaign website JBPritzker.com
Jul 17, 2017
Pat Quinn:
Birth to Five Initiative: prenatal care & early learning
Our state actually leads the nation in the number of three year olds attending pre-school. But the status quo is not enough. Not even close. The reality is, more than a third of our youngest and most vulnerable children don't have the opportunity to
attend early learning programs before they enter kindergarten. And that's unacceptable. At-risk children who don't receive early childhood education are: - 25% more likely to drop out of school
-
40% more likely to become a teen parent
- 50% more likely to be placed in special education
- 60% more likely to never attend college
- And 70% more likely to be arrested for a violent crime.
Scripture tells us, "Where there is
no vision, the people perish." That's why today I'm calling for a bold Birth to Five Initiative that will be focused on three keys to a healthy child: prenatal care, access to early learning opportunities and strong parent support.
Source: 2014 State of the State speech to Illinois legislature
Jan 29, 2014
Raja Krishnamoorthi:
Affordable, quality child care is a smart investment
Most children under age 5 today are growing up with working mothers. But as a nation, we're doing far too little to help mothers care for their kids while they're at work.So, why should this be a concern for the government in Washington? Why not just
let parents fend for themselves? The answer is that quality child care is important for the children who benefit from it. It's also critical to enabling more Americans to participate in our workforce, improving their own economic standing and our
country's competitiveness as a whole.
Studies show that affordable, quality child care is a smart investment with long term positive effects on a child's education, health, drug and alcohol use, and other social behavior well into adulthood.
According to some research, it returns $8 in benefits for every $1 invested. It is universally accepted today that ensuring a child's preparedness to enter kindergarten is a critical step for their future success in school.
Source: OpEd in Daily Herald on 2016 Illinois House campaign
Apr 19, 2015
Richard Durbin:
Safe, affordable child care available to more families
Senator Durbin is committed to making safe, affordable child care available to more American families that need it. Parents rely on outside child care arrangements now more than ever before. Parents need to know that the child care they rely on is of
the highest quality. Yet working families at all income levels struggle to find the high quality care their children need at a cost that is affordable.
Full-day care can cost between $4,000 and $10,000 per year. In 2000, child care for a four-year-old
child in an urban area of Illinois cost an average of $5,304 per year. One out of four families with young children earns less than $25,000 per year, making such high child care payments nearly impossible for many parents.
The gap between
what research has shown us is good for children and what is put into practice is still too large, especially in the context of reasonable pay and benefits for child care professionals.
Source: Vote-USA.org on 2020 Illinois Senate race
Apr 3, 2008
Tammy Duckworth:
Airports should all have 'lactation rooms' for breastfeeding
When Rep. Tammy Duckworth began traveling with her infant daughter, frequent flights from her congressional district in Illinois to Washington presented a new challenge: finding a suitable space to breastfeed in airport terminals.After realizing that
many airports fell short in providing breastfeeding mothers with privacy and comfort, Duckworth is now leading the fight for mom-friendly airports--recently introducing a bill, the Friendly Airports for Mothers (FAM) Act, that would require all major
U.S. airports to provide private "lactation rooms."
"We made progress in recent years by requiring employers to provide new mothers a private place other than a bathroom for nursing. This is a crucial step, but what about the breast-pumping
mother who travels?" Duckworth wrote in a recent op-ed.
The legislation also requires that the areas are accessible for moms with disabilities. If passed, the mandate gives airports two years to comply.
Source: TK coverage of 2016 Illinois Senate race
May 27, 2015
J.B. Pritzker:
Childcare for those in a job search or job training program
Although we provide childcare assistance for parents who already have jobs, we've never before provided childcare for someone who's unemployed but looking for a job. It's nearly impossible to interview with an employer if you're simultaneously the
24/7 primary caregiver for your family. So, in 2021, we initiated a program that provides three months of childcare for unemployed parents who are engaged in a job search or a job training program in preparation for a new job.
Source: 2023 State of the State Address to the Illinois legislature
Feb 15, 2023
Juliana Stratton:
Balanced state budget making it easier for families
[On balanced budget]: "It is another attempt to just keep taxing and taxing the taxpayers in the state of Illinois beyond their capability," said [one political opponent].Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton disagrees. She said the budget helps working families.
For example, it doubles the child tax credit from $300 to $600 for families with children under 12 years old. "We're making it easier for families, and we're doing that without raising taxes," Stratton said.
Source: 25News Now's Madison Porter on 2026 Illinois Senate race
Jun 5, 2025
Page last updated: Feb 07, 2026